The present invention concerns an adhesive bandage, in particular, for application on an acutely affected area of the epidermis which is very sensitive to contamination by bacterial germs and must remain sterile and, notably, an area containing a site for the implanting of an arteriovenous fistula forming a vascular access to a patient on hemodialysis, the said adhesive bandage comprising a support having an adhesive side, a sterile pad positioned on the said adhesive side of the support and a protective film covering the adhesive side and the sterile pad, the said protective film being made up of a first and second detachable tab, the said first detachable tab being folded back on itself along a folding line, outside the sterile pad area, and comprising a first flap applied on the adhesive side of the support and which extends at least from a first extremity of the said support towards its interior until the said folding line so as to cover entirely the sterile pad, and a second flap consisting of a beginning which tears off from the said first flap and which extends over the said first flap from the said folding line in the direction of the said first extremity of the support, the said second detachable tab comprising a third flap applied on the adhesive side of the support and which extends, outside of the sterile pad area, at the least from a second extremity of the said support, opposite the said first extremity, towards the interior of the said support until the said folding line of the first detachable tab.
An adhesive bandage of the type described above is presented by the American patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,297. Its second detachable tab, shorter than the first, also folds back on itself in the shape of a V. It consists of a fourth flap, which tears off and which extends over the third flap from the folding line beyond the second extremity of the support.
The sole aim of this patent is to present a particular packaging for a band age in an individual wrapping which facilitates the application of the bandage, without giving any guarantee for the sterility of this application. The two tearing flaps of the two tabs are sealed inside opposite extremities of the wrapping, forming two traction areas. This wrapping comprises, as well, on a longitudinal edge, a notch that is aligned with the folding line of the two tabs, as well as an area of prehension, facing the second tab and the bandage support.
To apply the bandage, the user must hold the wrapping in its prehension area then pull on the first traction area, connected to the tear-off flap of the first tab. The wrapping tears in two sections along the folding line of the tabs. The first tab, which entirely covers the pad, is pulled back first from the adhesive side of the support. The second tab stays in place on the support. From then on, there is a very high risk that the surrounding air or the user""s fingers will contaminate, with bacterial germs, the pad and the large section of the support""s adhesive side, which are uncovered. When this contaminated section is applied to the affected area of the skin, the germs it contains can cause serious infections.
Another adhesive bandage of a similar type is described in the English patent application published under the number GB-A-2 224 445. This bandage comprises a support provided with an adhesive surface which is protected by two detachable tabs. The first tab is folded back on itself in a V. It defines a first flap, applied on a small section of the adhesive surface towards the interior of the support from a first extremity, and a second flap which tears off from the first tab extending towards the exterior of the support beyond its first extremity. The second tab is more or less flat. It defines a third flap, applied on a large section of the adhesive surface towards the interior of the support from its second extremity, and a fourth flap, tearing from the second tab, which covers the first tab and extends beyond the first extremity of the support.
This adhesive bandage does not comprise a sterile pad on the adhesive surface for application on the affected area of the epidermis. The sole object of this patent application is to propose an adhesive bandage which is easy to apply, without offering any guarantee for the sterility of this application. Moreover, the second tab, whose third flap covers the large section of the support""s adhesive surface, must be pulled back first. Therefore, there is a very high risk of serious contamination, by the surrounding air and by the user""s fingers, of a large section of the adhesive surface before its application to the affected area of the skin, which would, itself, become seriously infected.
It is known other adhesive bandages similar to those previously described, notably in the international patent application published under the number WO 97 28771 and the European patent application published under the number EP-A-0 308 122. These bandages have various disadvantages and, in particular, do not guarantee systematic sterile application and present high risks of contamination to the affected area of the epidermis.
Consequently, the previous adhesive bandages are unsuitable for application on an acutely affected area of the epidermis which is very sensitive to contamination by bacterial germs and must remain sterile and for which a risk, even minimal, of contamination is not admissible.
The present invention proposes to overcome this major disadvantage by providing an adhesive bandage which can be packaged under sterile conditions before use and which is provided with a protective film allowing the bandage to be manipulated without special precaution and for the adhesive side and the sterile pad of the support to be easily applied, even with one hand, to the patient""s skin under systematically sterile conditions.
This aim is achieved by an adhesive bandage such as described in the preamble and characterised in that the said second detachable tab is designed to be lifted from the adhesive side of the support before the first detachable tab, in that the said second flap extends over the said first flap at least beyond the sterile pad area in the direction of the said first extremity of the support, and in that the said second detachable tab comprises a fourth flap with a beginning which tears off from the said third flap and which extends over the said first detachable tab from the said folding line at least beyond the sterile pad area in the direction of the said first extremity of the support.
The said fourth flap preferably has a length greater than that of the said first flap and extends beyond the said first extremity of the support.
The said second flap preferably has a length greater than that of the said first flap and extends beyond the said first extremity of the support.
In one advantageous embodiment, the said second flap has a length greater than that of the said fourth flap and extends beyond the said fourth flap.